Grey Power March 2017

NZ GREYPOWER MAGAZINE » MARCH 2017
21
NZ Superannuation
Grey Power has offered the new Prime Minister, Bill English,
some sound advice; don’t mess with NZ superannuation.
TOM O’CONNOR
National President
Grey Power Federation
National president of the Grey
Power Federation Tom O’Connor
said there had been a clear understanding
with retiring Prime Minster
John Key that NZ superannuation was
safe while he was in office.
“However the new Prime Minster has
hinted that he will not be held by John
Key’s solemn promise. That raises the
possibility that the pension scheme will
be a major election issue this year,” he
said.
“NZ superannuation has been under
almost constant attack by all sorts of
The deduction system
for people with foreign
state-funded pensions who
applied for New Zealand
superannuation, after
10 years residency, was
generous and basically
sound but there were
a few anomalies which
needed to be addressed
people and groups for the past year or
more. Some say it is unaffordable and
others want the age of entitlement raised
from 65 to 67.”
Mr O’Connor said the scheme cost
something less than four percent of GDP
and Government had not made any contribution
to the fund since 2008. He said
the scheme was clearly affordable now
and would be more so if Government
honoured its part of the bargain and resumed
contributions.
It would be unthinkable to raise the
entitlement age to 67, particularly for
those involved in physically demanding
trades, he said.
Mr O’Connor admitted there were
parts of the scheme which need a review
and some tidying up but the basic entitlements
of a universal pension for all
New Zealand Private Surgical Hospitals
New Zealanders at 65 was out of bounds.
“The deduction system for people with
foreign state-funded pensions who applied
for New Zealand superannuation,
after 10 years residency, was generous
and basically sound but there are a few
anomalies which need to be addressed,”
he said.
“We have a firm policy to retain a
state-funded, universal, non-means
tested pension payable at age 65 years
and that is our bottom line. If politicians
want to use superannuation as a political
football they need to remember that
we can field a formidable team and
there could be free kicks and penalties
aplenty.”
It was a proposal to apply surtax to
national superannuation which gave rise
to Grey Power more than 30 years ago
and Mr O’Connor said his national membership
of between 65,000 and 70,000
ADVERTISING
Association signs RACS Respect Agreement
PROOF
more by working it them on many important
issues NOTE but THAT there ANY are limits ALTERATIONS to what
The New Zealand Private Surgical
Hospitals Association (NZ- ronments, underpinned by our shared NZPSHA MUST members BE FINALISED provide procedures BY OUR MATERIAL we will tolerate. DEADLINE.
patient safety by improving work PLEASE envi-
APPROVE surgical hospitals THIS AD within AS SOON New Zealand. AS POSSIBLE.
PSHA) has signed a Memorandum
values of integrity and respect,” he said. for approximately 156,000 patients ev-
“We hope the new Prime Minster will
of Understanding (MoU) with the “The NZPSHA represents a number ery year representing around 50 percent discuss any proposed changes to the sys-
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons of surgical providers in the private surgical
of all elective surgery performed in New tem with us before finalising policies,” he
(RACS) to build respect and improve
component of the health sector in Zealand.
said.
patient safety in surgery.
New Zealand and has a common interest
The MoU, a collaboration formed under
with RACS in dealing with these is-
the RACS 2015 Action Plan: Building
sues and we will collaborate with RACS
Respect, Improving Patient Safety, in addressing them,” Dr McCann said.
is the third to be signed in New Zealand,
following an agreement with the Specific initiatives include:
Nelson Marlborough District Health • collaborate on the development of
Board signed recently.
programmes and processes to deal
Under the Agreement, RACS and the with discrimination, bullying, and
NZPSHA have committed to working sexual harassment
together to ensure that surgical supervisors
• Sharing information and resources
have the necessary skills and at-
around the education and training
tributes and are supported to provide available with the respective institutions
RACS vice-president Professor Spencer
Beasley said that bullying had been In May 2016, RACS launched Let’s Operate
training, assessment, feedback and
support to trainees and International • Ensuring that surgeons and vocationally
registered IMGs are able to un-
Medical Graduates (IMGs), free from
discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment
(DBSH). The work also aims tion in relation to DBSH
dertake required training and educa-
to ensure that the healthcare workplace • Exploring a process for the sharing of
is an environment free of DBSH.
relevant information.
Affordable
Retirement Living
in a quality home
with Respect – a campaign to help
a real problem for the surgical profession,
as it had been across the health deal effectively with discrimination, bullying
and sexual harassment in surgery.
Tasman Village Sections priced
sector, but now was the time to build a
Morrinsville
from $80,000 to
culture of respect and improve patient RACS has also published a dedicated new
safety.
section of its website, About Respect.
build your
“Hospital wards, operating theatres About RACS RACS is the leading advocate
for surgical standards, profes-
in ahome beautiful in a rural beautiful Waikato setting rural SITES IN FINAL
offers you you a warm,comfortable a comfortable home
own home
and outpatient clinics are areas where
surgical education and health service sionalism and surgical education in
• Own your own Waikato home (Freehold settingUnitTitle)
DEVELOPMENT
employment overlaps.
Australia and New Zealand. The college
SPACIOUS
“Both RACS and the NZPSHA is a not-for-profit organisation that represents
more than 7000 surgeons and
HOMES
• Monthly • Own charges your own are only home $170
• Contribution (Freehold when Unit exiting Title)
BRAND
NOW
NEW
AVAILABLE
strongly support the rights of all healthcare
professionals to a safe training 1300 surgical trainees and International
the village
and work environment where they can medical graduates. RACS also supports
capped • Monthly at 5% charges are only $170 also Priced available from $144,000 for
realise their full potential, free from healthcare and surgical education in the
• The • The capital capital gain isgain yoursis yours
2 Spec purchase
Homes now under construction
DBSH.
AsiaPacific region and is a substantial
"We know that if we can improve funder of surgical research. There are • Rural outlook, yet close to the Enquiries Welcomee
the culture of medicine, and surgery in nine surgical specialties in Australasia For
town
more
centre
information call 07 889 1933
particular, we can expect better patient being: Cardiothoracic surgery, general
outcomes. This is a powerful reason surgery, neurosurgery, orthopaedic surgery,
otolaryngology Head-and-Neck Email: For office@tasmanvillage.co.nz more information | Website: www.tasmanvillage.co.nz
call 07 889 1933
Tasman Village, 2 Seales Road, Morrinsville
why we wish to work together with this
initiative," Prof Beasley said.
surgery, Paediatric surgery, plastic and
NZPSHA executive member Dr Lloyd reconstructive surgery, urology and vascular
surgery. www.surgeons.org
Email: office@tasmanvillage.co.nz | Website: www.tasmanvillage.co.nz
TASMANTasman VILLAGE Village, is a non-profit 2 Seales making Road, Morrinsville organisation
McCann stated that he was pleased that
the NZPSHA and RACS had formalised About the New Zealand Private Surgical
owned by its residents
6290172AA
Hospitals Association The New
their shared commitment to providing
high quality training, education and experience
in the practice of surgery. sociation (NZPSHA) was established in
by its residents.
Zealand Private Surgical Hospitals As-
TASMAN VILLAGE is a non-profit organisation owned
“This partnership is about ensuring 2005 to represent the interests of private
CUSTOMER TASMAN VILLAGE PUBLISHING 17/09/14
SALES REP KDEVENISH would not tolerate PUBLICATION another attempt CAMBRIDGE to di-EDITIOlute
DESIGNER Unknown
what was already SECTION a meagre FEATURES pension.
PROOFED 11/09/2014 1:34:47 p.m. “We would rather not SIZE get into 12.9X18.5 a fight
AD ID 6290172AA with Government as we FAX achieve much
ONLY A
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